Combustion apparatus



NOV. 28, 1939. c; J GORSUCH 2,181,727

COMBUSTI ON APPARATUS Filed Jan. 8, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Attorney Nov. 28, 1939. GORSUCH 2,181,727

JOMBUSTION APPARATUS Filed Jan. 8, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I4 5/ 77572. fiE/f 4 I Inventor Attorney NOV. 28, 1939. v J GQR$UH 2,181,727

COMBUST I ON APPARATUS Filed Jan. 8, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 lnv nto;

A ltorny Patented Nov. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATET QFFIQ COMBUSTION APPARATUS George J. Gorsuch, Rochester, N. Y. Application January 8, 1936, Serial No. 58,131

6 Claims.

This invention relates to combustion apparatus for burners.

An object of the invention is to provide in a grate means for keeping the air vents opened at all times.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved grate capable of burning small sizes of fuel without the necessity of using blowers or similar draft devices.

Another object is the provision of new and improved means for introducing air for combustion to the fuel bed which will withstand the high heat generated for long periods of time.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain new and useful improvements in and combinations of parts; all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a vertical transverse sectional view of the grate assembled in the ash ring, and taken across the line i! of Fig. 2; the ash ring as illustrated fully shows the panels at the side on one of the two halves of the ring which bolt together with bolts and screws 2 3, to make a continuous circular ring when assembled. The straight dotted lines on these panels represent the outline of the main body of the ring. The size of the ash ring is exaggerated in proportion to other parts.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the grate and ash ring. This view shows the ash ring bolted together at the diagonally dotted lines by bolts 24. The portion between the broken circle and the outer edge of the ash ring designated as 30 is the portion of the ash ring overlying the grate supporting lugs 30 of the fire pot.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the ash displacing ring, with the ash displacing lugs, shaker bar and paired lugs shown thereon.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the ash displacing ring as viewed from the opposite side shown in Fig. 3. The paired lugs are clearly shown in these two figures and show how these lugs may be attached to all the rings, being spaced apart so that one of the lugs I! on the adjacent ring may move between the paired lugs to create the desired backlash or lost motion between the rings.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the capping perforated plate showing one form of perforations.

Fig. 6 is a side view of one of the intermediate rings.

Fig. '7 is a view from the bottom of an intermediate ring shown in Fig. 6, showing more clearly the recess Hlw on the underside of the rings which make possible the provision of large shielded vents completely around the grate.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the notched capping plate, showing the notches thereof within which the air conduits are placed to be secured to the perforated plate, thereby forming a solid unit which can be lifted as a whole from the top intermediate ring, of the grate.

Fig. 9 is a side view of the notched capping plate. The dotted lines show how an additional 0 air space is provided above the tops of the air conduits to form an air dome which in efiect becomes a pressure expansion chamber when the cold air entering becomes heated.

Figs. 10, 11, 12 are side, top and end views respectively of the air conduits, the bores through which the air enters the fuel bed being shown in dotted lines. It will be noted in Figures 10 and 11 how a portion of the outer bottom wall of the bore is broken away at the left. The construction further assists in keeping the bore free of ash accumulation at its exhaust end.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged sectional and elevational View of the manner in which the rings are superimposed upon one another, the left half of the figure showing the shape of the lugs ii, and also illustrating how the portions Ha space the rings apart and how the rings are kept concentric by the angle on the lugs formed by i I and Ha. The right half of the figure illustrates the shielding effect obtained by the superimposed construction of the rings.

Figs. 14 and 15 are sectional and inverted plan views respectively of the U-shaped claw and lever in position on the shaker bar for shaking the grate.

Fig. 16 illustrates in perspective the ash lug which scrapes ash from the inclined surface of the ash ring.

Fig. 17 is a cross section of the top ring iii showing how a horizontally extending ledge ii] or series of ledges may be provided there-on, or on all-rings H) to facilitate accumulation of a thin layer of ash on the outer face of the ring.

The present invention may be used with blowers and similar devices but is preferably used without them.

The improved grate described herein is of such a nature that it may be installed in the fire pots of existing stoves, furnaces, boilers or similar burners by simply removing the grates already therein and replacing the same with the invention herein described. It is also of such a nature that new burners may be equipped with the same without necessitating any changes in the shape or construction of the fire pot. This is made possible by the ring 2 which may be altered'in many ways to adapt itself to the shape of the fire pot. For instance, if the present grates are supported by a ledge or lugs 30 around the bottom of the fire pot I then requisite lugs, ledges or panels are put on the ring to hold the same on said ledge or lugs 39; if the walls of the fire pot taper downwardly and inwardly, then the ring may be held by the taper of the walls; if the walls of the fire pot are straight, then the ring may be bolted to the fire pot at the bottom or it may be supported by legs within the ash pit. In each case, those skilled in the art involved will be able to adapt the ring 2 to the fire pot l ofany burner. It is preferred that the ring 2 shall form a tight joint with the fire pot walls so as to prevent air for combustion from entering the fuel bed along the inner surfaces of the fire pot walls. The ring 2 is characterized preferably by an inclined surface 3i on its inner face to direct ash by gravity to flange 3 lying preferably in a horizontal position. This flange 3 extends for a short distance inwardly forming a large hole in the center portion of the bottom of the fire pot; its said horizontal surface 3 acting as a ledge to support the fuel. bed at the bottom and also to support the remainder of the grate hereinafter described. There is preferably a vertical shoulder 4 between the said horizontal flange 3 and the inclined inner surface 3| of ring 2 acting .as an annular abutment to cooperate with ash displacing lugs 5 on the ring 6 of the grate to keep the grate centered at all times and also when oscillating or revolving it to shake down the ashes. The flange 3 may be perforated at intervals if desired. A rod 7 is preferably attached to ring 6 and is preferably. maderectangular in cross section to be gripped by a broad U-shaped claw 8, attached to a lever 9; the ring 6 may thus be revolved or oscillated horizontally on the flange 3, to shake down the fire and remove the ash from the flange 3 by sidewise horizontal movement back and forth of lever 9 protruding from the ash pit door ordinarily. The ring 6 is preferably made to overlap the inner edge of the flange 3 to keep unburned fuel from continually falling into the ash pit, but is vertically spaced from the surface of the flange 3 by means of the ash displacing lugs 5 there is thus left a space through which ash and clinker may slide and gravitate to the ash pit by being forced through a circuitous course around the edge of ring 6 and in between the respective ash displacing lugs 5.

The ash displacing lugs 5 are preferably attached to ring 6 and made preferably with a tapering top surface, to prevent ash from piling up above on their top surface, and are spaced apart at intervals as noted in Fig. 4.

Intermediate rings ID are superimposed upon the ash removing ring 6 in any suitable number depending on the size and shape of the fire pot. A plurality of vent lugs II are attached preferably to the bottom of these rings in spaced relation around the inner peripheries of said rings, and project inwardly from, and downwardly from, respectively, the bottom and inner surfaces thereof, the downwardly projecting portion 1 la of said lugs l i lying under the body of the rings I!) serve to contact the ring immediately beneath so that the two respective rings are separated from each other to form an air vent around their adjacent peripheries; the projecting portions of lugs l I extending inwardly keep the ring to which they are attached at all times concentric with and in place upon the ring below and also inter- Bakelite or similar resins.

the outer faces of rings It and ring 6 to assist in breaking up the fuel body and clinker formation when revolving or oscillating the grate. There may also be one or more ledges M) attached on the outer faces of the rings it] in the horizontal plane to facilitate accumulation of a thin layer of ash on the faces of said rings to protect them from the intense heat of the fire bed.

Preferably superimposed upon the uppermost ring 10 is a perforated plate I 3, flanged to securely rest on said ring and capping the series of rings Ill at the top, and acting as a support for the laterally extending air conduits M; the perforations 25 of the plate l3 permitting air to pass from within the hollow portion of the grate formed by the series of rings 6 and ID to the air channels within said conduits l4 and thence into the fuel bed. When the air conduits used are of the type shown in Figs. 10-12, an additional capping plate I5 with a pointed or domed top and a screw bolt 28 in its bottom to be secured to plate i3 may be used to secure the conduits it into place on the perforated plate 13 and to serve substantially as an air seal to prevent the air coming up through said plate 13 from escaping otherwise than through said conduits; the said plate I5 is notched around its periphery as is shown in Fig. 9 so that the conduits M may be inserted within said notches, and the legs 29v further assist in sealing the joints with said conduits by contacting plate 3 at their bottom. As is obvious from the description herein contained of the perforated plate i3, air conduits I4, and capping plate 55, the three mentioned devices may be made integral in one piece, leaving continuous air passages therethrough, the result being a dome-like air chamber with-exhaust channels radiating outwardly from it; such a construction would obviate using a perforated plate.

A feature of the present invention is the'composition of the air conduits M, which are preferably made of refractory material, such for ex'- ample as silicon carbide bonded with fire clay,

conduits will last for indefinite periods of time even though continually within the hottest portion of the fire bed. It is understood that other materials than silicon carbide or phenolic resin binders may be used, such as fire clay or even fire brick, and the claims herein are not to be limited to the materials named.

It has been found that metal conduits deteriorate toofast for commercial purposes and that refractory conduits resist better and for longer periods.

There is also preferably attached to the perforated plate l3, from beneath, a pipe 16 extending downwardly within the hollow portion 'of the grate, formed by the rings thereof, towards the ash pit; both ends of said pipe 16 being open, one opening towards the ash pit, the other into the perforations of the plate It. This pipe I6 forms, with the rings, a double air chamber within the hollow portion of the grate,that is, the

When so made these outer chamber H, aiidthe inner chamber [8.

'There is a definite advantage'in such a conthat little or no air will enter the fuel bed through the air vents 19 between the rings, but

will, instead, go through the air conduits 14 because of lesser resistance, thereby decreasing the efficiency of the burner and impairing the proper combustion of the 'fuel at the bottom and center of the fuel bed, or even causing the fire to become extinguished. In lightingthe fire, however, exposure of conduits I4 is advantageous.

It is apparent, thatthe various rings may be so shaped and dimensioned that when nested together, the result'may be either a conical grate, a straight sided one, or even an inverse cone.

In using the present invention, the amount of air draft to the fire bed may be regulated in the ordinary way such as by opening the ash pit draft (1001' more or less and correspondingly manipulating the check damper of the chimney;

fuel is introduced to the fire pot through the fuel door or through any other convenient manner and ignited. The fuel introduced will first settle on ring 2 and the flange 3, then as more fuel is added from the fire door it will pile up and settle on ring 5 and the ash lugs 5, then farther up along the inclined surface of ring 2, then on the rings 10 and up the walls of the fire pot until finally the whole grate is completely covered. When the fuel has burned sufficiently, the ash from the bottom, that is, on ring 2, flange 3 and ring 5, and so on up may be removed by either oscillating or rotating ring 6 by proper sidewise manipulation of lever 9 which, through its claw 8 gripping rod I on ring 6 causes said ring 6 to rotate or oscillate correspondingly, and ring 6 thereby causes its ash displacing lugs 5 to scrape over the flange 3, while being held in their track, so to speak, by the shoulder 4 and flange 3 of ring 2; the said rotation or oscillation results in the gravitation of ash and fuel downwardly, off of flange 3 and into the ash pit below, assisted by the sidewise wiping effect of ash displacing lugs 5 and lugs 20.

The rotation or oscillation of ring 6 is imparted consecutively to the rings ill above with some backlash, or lost motion due to the interlocking action of lugs H and lugs l2. At the same time the lugs 23 assist in breaking up any clinker formation in the fuel body due to their movement simultaneously with the rings to which they are attached.

This backlash or lost motion between the rings, which is best obtained by oscillating lever 9, insures free passage of air through the vents of the grate body between the rings, for if any ash or clinker has piled up and hardened at the vent points, the relative movement of each ring as described breaks up and grinds said formation, which then gravitates to the ash pit, as previously described.

The lugs 20 may be attached to one or all of the ash lugs 5 and help to break up clinker formation over the inclined surface 3| of ring 2 and assist further the gravitational action of the ash in the fuel bed. The manner in which they are loosely pivoted on lugs'5 allows their adapting themselves to any irregularity of ring 2 or to undue strain because of some unusual resistance in the fuel and ash bed.

As is shown in Fig.16 said lugs 20 are shaped longitudinally with an elongated flat surface 2% to lie fiat on the inclined surface 3! of ring 2 and with a guiding shoulder 22 adapted to abut the edge of flange 3, and they are attached to lugs 5 preferably in removable and swivelling manner by simply slipping them onto lugs 5 whereby the lug 5 enters the elongated perforation 2| of lug 2!]; the guide shoulder 22 of lug 20, in combination with the inclined surface 3! of ring 2 and its flange 3 thereby serving to keep the lugs 2% substantially fiat'against the inclined surface 3! of ring 2, and the'elongated' perforation 2| serves to keep said lugs 20 in steady position at all times by preventing the lugs 20 from revolving around.

the axes of the lugs 5 on which they pivot. Undesirable upward pivotal movement of lugs 20 is prevented by the taper of lugs 5; shoulders on lugs 5 will likewise act as stops if preferable. However, the weight of the fuel bed will keep the lugs 26 on surface 3! without these extra precautions.

As will benoted in Fig. 1 the intermediate rings I!) are preferably so shaped in cross-section that, viewing the same horizontally in position in the grate, the outer face is inclined, tapering inwardly towards the top; the' inner face extends substantially perpendicularly to the horizontal plane; and preferably meets the inwardly inclined outer surface at the top in a smoothly rounded curve, the outer portion 2i of the bot- "tom surface of the ring Hi extends downwardly more than does the inner portion thereof, forming an 'outer depending ledge which extends around the bottom of the ring or at spaced inter-.

vals; a portion Ha of the lugs H extend across the bottom inner recess, at a level nearly equal to the said outer depending ledge 21' of the bottom surface. Thus, when'the ring it is in position on the ring below, the main bottom surface of the ring l0 does not contact the ring below; contact is made instead by the depending portion Ila of the lugs II, and since the outer ledge 21 of the upper ring extends below the top of the ring supporting it, a protecting ledge is thereby formed, shielding the horizontal openings l9 between the respective rings I0, and between lower ring 10 and 6.

A further function of said lugs l I is to contact the upper inner edge of the ring underneath in all rotated positions to keep the two respective rings in concentric horizontal relationship; as is well known to those skilled in the art, however, a slight amount of play between the rings is inevitable,

Inasmuch as the rings in the grate are quite heavy, their weight tends to keep them in position at all times and can be upset only by considerable upward force; horizontal force is resisted by the lugs H as above indicated. The assembly on plate is is kept secure on the uppermost ring H] by the flange l3a on plate [3 which is made to clear lugs [2 in any desirable manner.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the size and shape, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thusdescribed my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a fire pot provided with grate supporting means of a hollow chambered grate supported thereby, and including a plurality of superimposed relatively rotatable segments shieldedly vented, a segment being provided with a plurality of ash removing projections, and means for rotating said segments to remove ashes from said fire pot comprising a member attached to a segment, a lever adapted to engage said member, for rotating said segment, and spaced interlocking lugs attached to said segments respectively, whereby rotation of said segment by said lever will impart rotative movement to all segments so lugged with some backlash.

2. The combination in a hollow vented grate for a fire pot provided with a support for the grate and ash removing means, of auxiliary means for supplying air for combustion to the fuel bed in addition to the air supply from the vents of the grate and comprising a vertical open end tube within the hollow portion of said grate, and spaced from the outer vented walls thereof; a perforated plate capping the upper end of said tube and grate; a plurality of refractory air conduits extending laterally from and supported by said perforated plate; and a cover plate securing said refractory conduits to said perforated plate.

3. A refractory air conduit for use in a hollow vented grate of the class described and being bored for air passage therethrough from the grate with which it is used; its upper outer surface being of a gradually diminishing cross-sectional area towards the top, and its free end away from the grate being substantially tapered downwardly and inwardly toward the grate so that the top surface extends outwardly away from the grate more than the bottom surface,

whereby ash and fuel will not tend to accumu-,

late either on its top surface nor within its bore.

4. A refractory air conduit for use in a hollow vented grate of the class described and being bored for air passage therethrough from the grate with which it is used, its upper outer surface being substantially tapered toward the top; its free end away from the grate being substantially tapered downwardly and inwardly toward the grate; and thefree end being. further characterized by a cut-out section of the bottom wa'll ofvits bore, whereby fuel and ash willnot tend to accumulate eitherron its top surface nor within its bore.

5. In a burner, the combination with a com bustion chamber of a pipe in air communication with the ash pit of said burner for introducing air to the combustion chamber; a hollow substantially conical grate consisting of. a number of rings arranged about the pipe, said rings being nested to rotatably support one another and so as to form air vents through the outer walls of the conical grate; an annular ring arranged beneath and extending beyond the conical step grate, to form, with the latter, the sole of the combustion chamber, and having a shouldered flange cooperating with ash removing lugs on said conical grate to keep the same centered when rotated thereon to remove ash from. the

ranged about said pipe, rotatably nested in vertical order and lugged so as to interlock with a slight backlash relatively when rotated and so as to form air vents between their respective points of contact; an annular ring arranged be-' heath said grate to form with the latter the sole of the combustion chamber, and being annularly formed so as to cooperate with ash removing means-of said grate to center and support the same in all rotated positions; and a hollow refractory dome capping said grate and in air com.- munication with said pipe, and being formed with air conduits, extending in lateral directions away from said grate whereby air for combustion is introduced to the combustion chamber through" the vents of the grate and through the conduitsi of said dome.

GEORGE GORSUCH. 

